1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet feeding unit and a printer.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, to perform printing on sheets of different sizes, sheet feeders provided for feeding the sheets of respective sizes are necessary. In addition, since such sheets that have undergone printing are usually sorted by size or intended use and are output to different discharge trays, a sorter having a number of discharge trays is used.
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-4773, although a sheet feeder is not shown in drawings provided therein, a printer main body (an image forming apparatus) that performs printing and the like and a sorter that sorts printed sheets and discharges the sheets to discharge trays are provided as units that are connectable to each other.
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-301623, two sorters provided as units are connected to a printer main body (an image forming apparatus) that performs printing and the like.
Although Japanese Patents Laid-Open No. 5-4773 and No. 9-301623 each disclose a sorter that sorts printed sheets into a plurality of groups and discharges the sorted sheets, the disclosures each do not include a configuration for feeding sheets of a plurality of kinds. Actually, even if it is desired to handle sheets of more kinds in one printer, there have been no proposals concerning a feeder that meets such a desire.